The real thing by Gary Rose

I liked this little story so much that I thought I would share it with you. But, a question came to me: Do thievery and deception equal magic (the real kind; something that man can not do)? The answer came to me quickly in a resounding NO! Yet there is real magic out there, we just call it by a different name – a miracle. Then, I remembered part of my daily Bible reading from a few days ago…

Exodus 8 ( World English Bible )

^[1] Yahweh spoke to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, “This is what Yahweh says, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me.  ^[2] If you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your borders with frogs:  ^[3] and the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into your house, and into your bedroom, and on your bed, and into the house of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading troughs: ^[4] and the frogs shall come up both on you, and on your people, and on all your servants.’”  ^[5] Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’”  ^[6] Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.  ^[7] The magicians did the same thing with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. 

  ^[8]  Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat Yahweh, that he take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to Yahweh.” 

  ^[9]  Moses said to Pharaoh, “I give you the honor of setting the time that I should pray for you, and for your servants, and for your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, and remain in the river only.”

  ^[10]  He said, “Tomorrow.” 

He said, “Be it according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like Yahweh our God.  ^[11] The frogs shall depart from you, and from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.” 

  ^[12]  Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to Yahweh concerning the frogs which he had brought on Pharaoh.  ^[13] Yahweh did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields.  ^[14] They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.  ^[15] But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and didn’t listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken. 

Most of us have read the Bible’s accounts of the plagues of God upon the Egyptians before and remember how stubborn Pharaoh was in accepting God’s will. This particular plague interested me because of one verse in the rendition; verse 8. Pharaoh’s magicians had brought frogs upon the land “like” God had done (verse 7); so why did Pharaoh call Moses to him and ask that the frogs be taken away? Answer: The magicians couldn’t do it because all they really could do was trickery. God has the real power to extra-ordinary, beyond our understanding things; in other words – miracles.

I don’t believe in magic, for it is trickery. However, I do believe in the power of God to do the miraculous and I hope you do as well!